The 2020 Stadium Super Trucks season opener will see a clash of two nations as the American SPEED Energy Stadium Super Trucks travel to the Adelaide 500 to take on the Australian Boost Mobile Super Trucks. On Thursday, SST revealed Paul Morris, Paul Weel, Greg Gartner, Shae Davies, and Luke Vanna will represent their home country as Team Australia.
“Confirmed,” began an SST Facebook post, “Paul ‘The Dude’ Morris, Paul Weel, Greg Gartner Motorsports, Shae Davies and Luke Vanna Racing will drive for Team Australia in the Boost Mobile Stadium Super Trucks Series at the Superloop Adelaide 500!”
Earlier in the day, the five participated in a rainy test session at Queensland Raceway, with Weel being the first to confirm his entry and Morris and Vanna doing so shortly after under the Team Norwell banner. Weel, Davies, and Vanna are series newcomers.
A Supercars Championship veteran who last raced in 2008, Weel has stadium truck experience during his early racing career in the 1990s. He will also dabble in other forms of off-road racing in 2020, including the Mint 400 in Las Vegas.
“Great to be back racing and super excited to be in the @ssupertrucks series,” Weel posted on Instagram. “Two weeks to the Superloop 500 in Adelaide. Can’t wait to reveal the car livery for Adelaide.”
Morris, the 2017 SST champion, oversees the Paul Morris Racing Academy, of which Vanna (van Herwaarde) is a member. In 2019, Vanna raced in the Toyota 86 Racing Series with Paul Morris Motorsport, where he finished eleventh in the standings. He originally intended to move up to the Super2 Series but elected to join SST due to costs.
“Got the call up to race @ssupertrucks this season,” Vanna wrote. “See you at Adelaide”.
Gartner has raced in SST since its Australian début in 2015. In twenty-eight career starts between 2015 and 2018, he has a best finish of fourth on two occasions (2015 at Sydney’s Valvoline Raceway and the 2016 Gold Coast 600). Davies, who made starts in Supercars in 2016 and 2017, branched out of Australia in 2018 as he raced in Blancpain GT Series Asia and Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe. He ran the full 2019 GT World Challenge Europe schedule with Belgian Audi Club Team WRT.
The Adelaide 500 is scheduled for 22–23 February. It is one of three companion races between the two series, with further dates scheduled for the Perth SuperNight in May and the Gold Coast 600 in October to end the season.
